Banking on kingsWes Murphy | First Published: July 2011

Big kingfish are on the menu for this month but rough seas and cold weather have made it a little harder to chase them.

Out on the Sir John Young Banks we should see the kings show up in big numbers and jigging and live-baiting are the best methods for these fish.

To find them out on The Banks just look for all the boats – if the fish are on you should find about 20 boats in the one spot. The Banks are about 8.5NM east of Crookhaven and rise from 70m up to about 16m.

Out on the continental shelf the yellowfin tuna should be in numbers this month and with them we always see big mako sharks. Their aerial antics wild and it’s never a dull moment when you are hooked up to a big one.

In Jervis Bay the squid are on the chew. With these guys in such good numbers, it’s not hard to get your quota but remember, when it comes to the end of the day you have to clean 20 squid so take only what fills your immediate needs.

In around the closer reefs we should see some nice snapper and bonito.

Out around Long Nose and the Middle Ground there have been loads of kingfish around 5kg to 8kg.

RIVER JEWIES

On the Shoalhaven River we are still seeing large numbers of small jewfish taking bait and soft plastics. They should move up-river in coming weeks, with cliffs near the showground and around the ski park good spots to chase them.

There have been some good flathead around the moored boats at Shoalhaven Heads and blackfish off the wharf at Greenwell Point.

Bream are starting to move off the beaches and into the river, with Mussel Island my pick for some good-sized fish.

Outside on the bait grounds we have seen some nice snapper up to 3kg, mainly on cubes of pilchard, and there have been plenty of flathead out off the surf club along Seven Mile Beach.

Down in St Georges Basin the fish have been shut down over the past few weeks but with a bit of rain they should come back on the chew.

Those fish that have been caught have come from deeper water on blades and soft plastics.

By the end of July we should see the first of the big flathead turning up and I know a lot of people are looking forward to landing some nice fish.

Lake Conjola has seen a good run of mullet and where you have mullet you have jewfish although you might have to sit out in the cold and wait for a bit.

Remember that Winter is a great time to do all that maintenance on your boat and your fishing tackle. If you’re not confident about doing it yourself, head down to your local boat dealer or tackle shop because there is nothing worse than tackle failing when the fish are on the bite – unless its your engine conking out close to rocks or crossing a bar.

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Simon Pender caught this 18kg kingfish on a live bait at the south-east corner of the Banks. There should be more big kings out there this month.

The author scored this baby jewfish on the Shoalhaven River on a soft plastic.